Former State Rep. Micky Hammon released from prison
Former Alabama House Majority Leader Micky Hammon was released from federal prison Thursday, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. The Decatur-Republican was sentenced to three months in prison on charges relating to mail fraud back in February. Hammon pleaded guilty on felony charges in September to devising a scheme to commit mail fraud involving his campaign funds. During his sentencing he was ordered to pay $50,657 in restitution for the crimes, which will be distributed to his campaign contributors, and was sentenced to three months in federal prison and three years supervised release. He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years. According to court documents, Hammon used campaign money to pay his own personal expenses as part of a mail fraud scheme. In 2013, he created a principal campaign committee through the Secretary of States Office allowing him to raise funds for his reelection campaign. He was writing checks from his campaign committee account and then depositing them into his personal account. He later used the funds to pay for personal expenses, which is strictly prohibited by Alabama campaign finance rules. As a result of pleading guilty to a felony, Hammon was automatically removed from his House seat in the state House. He had represented the 4th district in the Alabama House since 2002 and served as the House of Representative’s majority leader until Feb. 2017.
Former State Rep. Micky Hammon sentenced on mail fraud charges
Former Alabama House Majority Leader and Decatur-Republican Micky Hammon was sentenced to three months in prison on Thursday on charges relating to mail fraud. Hammon pleaded guilty on felony charges in September to devising a scheme to commit mail fraud involving his campaign funds. During Thursday’s sentencing he was ordered to pay $50,657 in restitution for the crimes, which will be distributed to his campaign contributors, and was sentenced to three months in federal prison and three years supervised release. He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years. According to court documents, Hammon used campaign money to pay his own personal expenses as part of a mail fraud scheme. In 2013, he created a principal campaign committee through the Secretary of States Office allowing him to raise funds for his reelection campaign. He was writing checks from his campaign committee account and then depositing them into his personal account. He later used the funds to pay for personal expenses, which is strictly prohibited by Alabama campaign finance rules. Hammon is expected to turn himself in to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in March. As a result of pleading guilty to a felony, Hammon was automatically removed from his House seat in the state House. He had represented the 4th district in the Alabama House since 2002 and served as the House of Representative’s majority leader until Feb. 2017.
State Rep. Micky Hammon pleads guilty to mail fraud involving campaign funds
Longtime Alabama lawmaker, Decatur-Republican State Rep. Micky Ray Hammon, pleaded guilty on felony charges Monday to devising a scheme to commit mail fraud involving his campaign funds. United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin Sr. confirmed the news Tuesday morning. As a result of pleading guilty to a felony, Hammon was automatically removed from his House seat. Governor Kay Ivey has yet to set a date for a special election to replace him. According to court documents, Hammon, who has represented the 4th district in the Alabama House since 2002 and served as the House of Representative’s majority leader until earlier this year, used campaign money to pay his own personal expenses as part of the scheme. In 2013, he created a principal campaign committee through the Secretary of States Office allowing him to raise funds for his reelection campaign. He was writing checks from his campaign committee account and then depositing them into his personal account. He later used the funds to pay for personal expenses, which is strictly prohibited by Alabama campaign finance rules. “Self-dealing by elected officials erodes society’s confidence in its governmental institutions,” said Franklin Sr. “Self-dealing is precisely what occurred here. Those who donated to Representative Hammon’s campaign expected that the campaign would use those resources lawfully and to foster an informative public debate. Instead, Representative Hammon placed those funds into his own personal piggy bank. “I am proud of my office’s efforts to root out this corruption and I am most grateful for the tireless work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, which investigated this case. I hope that this prosecution will, in some small way, restore Alabamians’ trust in their state legislature.” United States District Attorney Myron H. Thompson will sentence Hammon in the months ahead. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years.
